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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050065">Vespers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinydooms/pseuds/tinydooms'>tinydooms</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddles, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Rick O'Connell is the best dad, battle dads being soft, colds and flu</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:55:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>509</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27050065</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/tinydooms/pseuds/tinydooms</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Dad. Dad. Dad.”</p><p>The summons was accompanied by staccato pats on the face. Rick pulled himself up out of sleep and opened his eyes. Darkness filled the room; moonlight streaming through the parted curtains silvered the pale blond hair of Alex, standing beside him. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evy Carnahan O'Connell/Rick O'Connell</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>40</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Vespers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>Vespers</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Carnahan House, Buckinghamshire, 1929</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Dad. Dad. Dad.”</p><p>The summons was accompanied by staccato pats on the face. Rick pulled himself up out of sleep and opened his eyes. Darkness filled the room; moonlight streaming through the parted curtains silvered the pale blond hair of Alex, standing beside him. </p><p>“Kiddo, what are you doing out of bed? You’re not well,” Rick exclaimed in a whisper. He rolled over and lifted the blankets up. “Get in here at once.”</p><p>Alex clambered up under the covers and folded himself into Rick’s arms. At four he was all baby pudge and floppy limbs. “Dad, I’m mizzerble.”</p><p>“Miserable, huh? Tell me,” Rick whispered, hoping not to wake Evie just behind him.</p><p>A particularly vicious head cold had been making the rounds through the family, picked up somewhere between the Southampton docks and the village train station. First Rick had had it, then Evie, and now Alex, who was currently looking up at him with big, sad eyes and clearly hoping that Rick could slay the germs like he slew the monsters under the bed. </p><p>“My face hurts,” Alex said, “and my toes is cold, and my nose is cold, and my chest feels like pudding, and I am mizzerble.”</p><p>“Aw, baby,” Rick murmured, cuddling his son to him, “I’m so sorry. It’s a rotten one, this cold. What would make you feel better?”</p><p>“If it went away,” Alex said, plaintively. </p><p>“It will, kiddo, I promise. The best thing is to snuggle in and sleep it off.”</p><p>“I don’t wanna sleep. I wanna have adventures.”</p><p>Rick grinned. “Not in the middle of the night. Those ones aren’t fun. Let me feel your feet.”</p><p>Alex pulled his feet up, kneeing Rick in the stomach as he did so, and Rick wrapped his big warm hand around the tiny toes. They <em>were </em>cold. Rick winced. </p><p>“I thought Mum put you to bed in socks,” he whispered, rubbing Alex’s feet. </p><p>Alex shrugged. “They were too hot so I took ‘em off. And then I couldn’t find ‘em. Can I stay with you?”</p><p>“Yes, I think that’s the best idea,” Rick said, tucking the blankets in more firmly around Alex. “Snuggle in, that’s it. Poor little kid.”</p><p>Alex sniffled and settled in against Rick’s chest, going soft and heavy as Rick rubbed his back in soothing circles. In moments the little boy was asleep. Rick pressed a kiss to  his son’s downy hair and rested his chin on top of the little head. Rotten colds. It would pass, though, and he knew from experience that the best medicine was warmth and safety. Well. They had that in abundance. Rubbing his child’s back, Rick let himself relax back into sleep. </p><p> </p><p>Author's Note: not quite my first outing with Alex, but close! Have some family fluff. I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think in the comments! Also, as of 16 October 2020, I am reposting this from "A Book of Life" into it's own one-shot. I didn't like the previous set-up, so I'm fixing it. </p>
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